Pasta Primavera

Pasta primavera is a dish that consists of pasta and fresh vegetables with the focus on the vegetables themselves. This classic dish actually originates from America and can include almost any kind of vegetable, but cooks tend to stick to firm, crisp vegetables like broccoli, peas, zucchini, squash, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 16 oz. of whole-grain pasta (Your choice)
• 1 1/2 carrots, julienned or shredded
• 1/2 cup celery, diagonally sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small zucchini, sliced thin
• ½ pound cherry tomatoes
• 1 red pepper, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook carrots, celery and red pepper in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a covered pan over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add garlic and zucchini and cook, covered, for another 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
4. When pasta is almost done to al dente, add to the veggies and finish cooking in the sauce.
5. Mix the vegetables & herbs with the sauce mixture and serve.

Eggplant Braciola

Braciola is an Italian dish simply made with thin slices of beef, roulade (or rollatini) with cheese and bread crumbs, pan-fried in their own juice, or in a small amount of light olive oil. In this vegan version I have substituted eggplant for the meat and veggies for the cheese for a delicious entrée.

Ingredients (6 Servings)

• 2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/2" thick lengthwise
• 2 medium red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 ounces spinach
• 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash
• 2 cups pasta sauce, no or low salt
• 6 ounces low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a paper towel moistened with olive oil, lightly oil a non-stick baking pan. Arrange eggplant in a single layer.
2. Bake about 20 minutes or until the eggplant is flexible enough to easily roll. Set aside.
3. In 1/8 cup water, sauté the bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until just tender, adding more water if needed. Add spinach and Mrs. Dash. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta sauce and shredded soy cheese.
4. In a baking pan, spread about 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Place some of the vegetable mixture on each eggplant slice, roll and place in baking pan on top of sauce.
5. Pour remaining tomato sauce over eggplant rolls. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through.

Avocado and White Bean Wrap

White beans mashed with ripe avocado and blended with sharp Cheddar and onion makes an incredibly rich, flavorful filling for this delicious wrap. The tangy slaw adds a great crunch. Serve with tortilla chips, salsa and a tall, cold lite brew and enjoy.

Total Time: 25 minutes  

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce, (see Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 15-ounce can low-sodium white beans, rinsed
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup shredded, sharp white Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat wraps, or tortillas

Preparation

1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chile and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, carrot and cilantro; toss to combine.
2. Mash beans and avocado in another medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in cheese and onion.
3. To assemble the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean-avocado mixture onto a wrap (or tortilla) and top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage-carrot slaw. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.

Note: Chipotle chilies are nothing more than smoked jalapeños. Look for a small can in the Mexican foods section in your local supermarket. Once opened, they'll keep at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. 

Nutrition

Per serving: 346 calories; 17 g fat ( 4 g sat , 9 g mono ); 15 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrates; 12 g protein; 13 g fiber; 462 mg sodium; 491 mg potassium.

Greek Cucumber Salad

This is one of those salads that is nice to make ahead of time so that you can let the flavors mingle a bit while it chills out in the fridge. The crisp and juicy cucumbers go so well with a creamy coating made slightly tangy by the Greek yogurt and lemon and the red onion provides a bit of sweet pungency and the fresh dill finishes the salad off perfectly. This salad is best served straight from the fridge while it is still cool which makes it a great way to beat the heat.

Ingredients

·         1 large cucumber (sliced)

·         1/4 cup red onion (sliced)

·         2 tablespoons sour cream

·         2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

·         1 tablespoon lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

·         1 handful dill (chopped)

·         salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Combine everything and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Indonesian Beef Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Popular throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia, satay is strips of skewered, grilled meat eaten with a fragrant dipping sauce. Here we serve marinated steak with a spicy peanut sauce for dipping. The accompanying cucumber salad is a cooling counterpoint to the beef satay.

**You will need 20 to 30 bamboo skewers for this dish.

Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (including 2 hours marinating time)

Ingredients (6 servings)

Marinade & Steak

• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass, tender inner stalk only (see Notes), or 2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (see Notes)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, flank or other beef steak, trimmed

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemongrass, tender inner stalk only, or freshly grated lime zest
• 1/2 cup “lite” coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Asian chile sauce, such as Sriracha, or other hot sauce, or to taste

Marinated Cucumbers

• 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
• Pinch of salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. To marinate steak: Combine lime juice, lemongrass (or lime zest), soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, turmeric, coriander, cumin and pepper in a small bowl. Cut steak on the bias across the grain (see Tip) into thin, 1- to 2-inch-wide strips. Place in a sealable gallon-size plastic bag, add the marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
2. To prepare dipping sauce: Combine onion and oil in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger and lemongrass (or lime zest); cook, stirring frequently and reducing the heat as necessary to prevent over browning, 2 minutes more. Add coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce, ketchup, lime juice, brown sugar and hot sauce; cook, stirring, until well blended. If necessary, thin with a little water to the desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with lime juice, brown sugar and/or hot sauce. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
3. To prepare cucumbers: Combine cucumber, vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in cilantro (if using). Taste and add more sugar and/or salt if desired. Set aside.
4. To prepare satays: Preheat a gas grill to medium heat or prepare a medium-heat fire in a charcoal grill. (No grill? See Broiler Variation.)
5. Remove the steak from the marinade (discard marinade). Thread onto skewers, 1 strip per skewer. Grill, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium. (If necessary, grill the satays in two batches.)
6. Warm the dipping sauce, if desired. Serve the satays with the sauce and the cucumbers.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the peanut sauce for up to 3 days; cover and refrigerate the marinated cucumbers for up to 1 day; marinate steak (Step 1) for up to 12 hours. 
• Notes: Look for lemongrass—a woody, scallion-shaped herb with an aromatic lemon flavor—in the produce department of well-stocked supermarkets. To use, trim off the root end and grassy top. Peel off the woody outer leaves. Thinly slice the softer inner stalk, then finely chop.
• Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian-food section of well-stocked supermarkets and at Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our recipe testing and nutritional analyses.
• Tip: Depending on your region, skirt steak may not be something your supermarket regularly carries—call ahead to make sure it’s available or ask your butcher to order it for you. It’s usually sold in about 1-pound cuts up to 18 inches long and 5 inches wide, but just 1/4 inch thick. Before cooking, cut the steak with the grain into several portions to make the long piece more manageable on the grill or in a skillet. Once cooked, be sure to slice it across the grain for maximum tenderness. Hanger steak, flat-iron and flank steak can all be used as substitutes for skirt steak in most recipes.
• Broiler Variation: Position a rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan (or a wire rack set on a large baking sheet) with cooking spray. Broil the skewers, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium.

Nutrition

Per serving: 296 calories; 17 g fat ( 6 g sat , 7 g mono ); 65 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 588 mg sodium; 588 mg potassium.